Boulder city manager pulls Roundup weed killer in public places

City to rely on 'minimum risk' herbicides, pesticides until study concludes

John McKee, with the city of Boulder Parks and Recreation Department, pulls weeds outside the Municipal Building on Friday. Boulder will immediately discontinue the use of the synthetic herbicide Roundup in public places in favor of more environmentally friendly products.
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PAUL AIKEN
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About Roundup

Roundup is a synthetic herbicide manufactured by Scotts Australia. It is the only herbicide currently approved for use in Boulder urban parks for non-turf areas.

It contains an inactive ingredient called polyethoxylated tallowamine, or POEA, which new research suggests may have more environmental and health impacts than its active ingredient, glyphosate.

Glyphosate is among the most common herbicides in use today.

Sources: Roundup material safety data sheet and "Scientific American"

Boulder will immediately discontinue the use of the synthetic herbicide Roundup in public places where people are likely to come into contact with it, in favor of more environmentally friendly products.

City Manager Jane Brautigam announced in a recent memo to the City Council that she is directing parks and maintenance staff to use only the least toxic pesticides and herbicides on city-owned parks, streets and landscaping.

It's possible that Roundup could still be used on city open space property, but officials say they are "transitioning completely away" from that practice.

The order comes as the city is working to finalize a new process for reviewing and approving the types of chemicals that it uses to control weeds and pests on public property.

That report is due later this year, but Brautigam wrote that she wanted to "continue to make progress towards its goal of reducing the use of synthetic pesticides" by further restricting the types of chemicals used this spring and summer.

Rella Abernathy, Boulder's integrated pest management coordinator, said the decision to reduce the use of Roundup is based partly on new scientific studies that have shown the surfactant "POEA" -- the inactive ingredient in Roundup -- to be more harmful to humans than its active ingredient of glyphosate.

"(POEA) tends to have more health risks associated with it, and the combination of the two together tends to make the glyphosate more toxic," Abernathy said.

The city will rely primarily on mechanical means of controlling weeds in public sidewalks, paths and parks.

If that proves ineffective, Abernathy said, the city would turn to so-called "minimum risk" products approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Minimum risk pesticides are a special class of pesticides that are not subject to federal registration requirements. Their active ingredients are made of substances such as garlic oil, peppermint oil and salt.

Abernathy said city staffers are now testing a variety of minimum risk products to treat dandelions.

"We don't know how well that would work," she said, adding that the goal is to have turf that is healthy enough to battle weeds and pests on its own.

The next step would be to use biopesticides, which are made from animals, plants, bacteria and certain minerals.

The city also is retaining the ability to spot treat problem areas with a glyphosate-based herbicide that does not contain POEA.

Jay Feldman, executive director of the national advocacy group Beyond Pesticides, praised Boulder's pesticide management program and the decision to pull Roundup from most use.

"I applaud the city manager for taking a step like this," he said, and for "adopting practices that seek to prevent the problem."

Feldman said many communities are turning to pesticide management programs such as Boulder's.

"When we're talking about a community where we have children that are exposed to chemicals ... we really shouldn't be using chemicals like Roundup, especially for aesthetic or cosmetic purposes," he said.

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